Duplicate logs or errors.
I am not sure about the rest of you but I like to look at the logs on caches sometimes not just my own but others as well. If I see a listing that looks cool or one I plan on finding later I like to read what people are saying. One thing I noticed lately is the number of duplicate found logs or DNF logs but they say in the log they found it or vice versa saying they didn’t find it but logged it as a find. I have seen people log a note instead of a find as well. If someone logs a DNF on a cache they actually found then it will still show up as a not found cache on the map or in a PQ or if they DNF by mistake it could make the owner or others think it is missing. I realize that we all look at our stats and most of us want them to be as accurate as possible but where does being polite and helpful stop, and being anal and nosey start?
I myself went nuts trying to find a duplicate once and I wish someone would have told me if they had noticed but I also can see someone getting upset at being corrected. I think it is all in the “how and who” is telling you. I have not told anyone about a mistake except for a close friend or if someone mis-logged one of mine. Someone else’s numbers don’t matter much to me but if a gentle email to them would make their numbers more accurate, one way or another do you think it is appropriate to tell them? Not all owners care or notice the logs on their own caches and not all finders care or even know if their numbers are right I guess.
I know what to do if it is my cache but what if you notice it on someone elses’s? Would you want to be corrected?
Personally, I would like to be told if I double entered or made the error.
On my caches, if someone logs a DNF, I will send them a quick email thanking them and maybe getting some more info before I head out to replace it.
But I only have 8 hides, so it is easy – I can only imagine those cachers that have 100-200 hides… I can’t imagine they get a notification for every log – that would be a never ending battle just to read them!
If I see a dupe found log, I delete one of them right away. I don’t email the person about it as I assume it was just an oversight.
I think for me, it depends on the situation. If it was someone I know, I would probably email them. For newbies, I might email them and let them know that they made a minor mistake.
I have seen found logs on multis where someone found the first point and none of the rest and kind of wondered if I should email them or not.
I recently had a person post a DNF on one of my caches and a Needs Archiving on another but the text in the log indicated that they had found both caches. I sent an E-Mail to that person and it turnout that they were logging their finds on their phones while at the cache and had simply chosen the wrong option by mistake. They corrected their logs and all was fine.
I have deleted dupe logs.
I am talking about seeing mistakes on someone else’s cache, not one you own.
I think that you hit the nail on the head with the “how and who” comment. We have a cacher who the locals call the cache cop – sometimes this cachers comments come across the wrong way. This person is well meaning but can come across as a busy body.
I have over 200 cache placements and read every log. If someone logs one twice (last weekend a cacher with 20,000 finds logged two of mine twice and I sent a joking note “so THAT is how you found so many, LOL”
I would want to know – I’ve done it, we probably all have. I’ve also accidentally put a happy face on a DNF and was happy to learn the mistake and fix it. I think choosing your words carefully and checking your tone will help the person see that you are a well meaning mentor and not a nosy busybody. 🙂
If I ever change my geocaching name one day, I want it to be CacheCop! Awesome!
I know what you meant, Rev. I just wanted attention.
I have seen this on other peoples caches before while looking through the logs, usually by new cachers. I am not sure if the cache owner noticed it. On a few occasions I have sent an e-mail to the cacher to explain their error. After all, they are new and still have a lot to learn.
So far all the cachers I contacted thanked me for helping them.
Look at it this way. If you were talking to a new cacher about caching and they said something that was wrong, wouldn’t you point out the mistake to them. Not to correct them but help them out. Yes you would.
So doing it by e-mail is the same thing. Of course, not as an attack but as a friendly gesture.
And before anyone writes that this is sticking your nose in someone elses business, it isn’t. No one can learn if there is no one to teach them.
Yes, I’d like to be told….and learn from it. And I’d have no problem with pointing it out.
And it’s fairly easy to notice the dupe logs, when I get the emails on my caches. A hundred hides, but only a few emails per day.
I would appreciate it if a cache owner would send me an email to correct one of my log. I usually log the caches I found during the day once I get home and mistakes can happen when you are tired.
i hate making mistakes. i also hate looking like an idiot.
but i LOVE to hear when i make STUPID mistakes.
especially if the person pointing it out is trying not to laugh at me.
life’s a riot. we’re all morons.
So is this turning into the stupic mistake thread?
I have some to contribute, how about you.
“Life is too short for drama and petty things, so kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly.”
We check all the logs on our own series and recently someone logged one of the caches in the middle but not any of the others so we checked their geocaching history which showed they were in Austria. When we emailed them and asked if they were in NB, Canada lately (or just logged the cache by mistake) they corrected their error. When it comes to errors on other’s logs we tend to smile and just ignore them.